It's Better This Way
by Alternative Angel
Summary: An anthology of sorts. /Set after the Alvarez Invasion arc, probably a few months after. Shit went down, things came to light, everyone's been recovering from the rollercoaster ride of the last two years. And, lo and behold, Natsu and Happy intend to go on another journey. But at least they're trying to go about it better this time.


_I'm out of practice with this whole writing thing, so the first thing I'm doing is taking the easy way by just doing this in here instead of committing to some long, thought-out chapter-fic that I'll probably never finish._

Important Notes: This is just gonna be a collection of largely unconnected one-shots, mainly based around Lucy and/or Natsu (and Happy), because those are the characters I get most ideas for. Also, this is **not a spoiler-free zone**. I'll post at the beginning of each one-shot (those in the series' canon instead of an AU, at least) my rough estimate of the plot's current place in the Fairy Tail timeline, but that's all I can really do for you.

Disclaimer: (Are these even necessary anymore?) I refuse any claim of ownership over the brand Fairy Tail and its many products. I don't even own that cover up there. All I claim are these ideas here and the fic which have spawned from those ideas.

Summary: Set after the Alvarez Invasion arc, probably a few months after. Shit went down, things came to light, everyone's been recovering from the rollercoaster ride of the last two years. And, lo and behold, Natsu and Happy intend to go on _another_ long trip, this time not just to train but to see the world.

* * *

With a sigh, Natsu burned the rest of the garbage collected from his house. He'd learned his lesson about leaving stuff to rot while he went away for a while. Seven years might be long enough to leave nothing behind, but one year apparently just made everything smell like shit. His nose was still crying from that trauma.

"Well, Happy? You done with your end?" he called into the little house he'd called home for so many years. A rustle answered him, quickly followed by his best pal flying out of the house their bags.

"Aye, sir! Ready and raring to go!" the Exceed saluted.

A grin flirted along the man's lips before disappearing as he recalled that there was one more task to do before they left town. It wasn't something he was looking forward to, and the frown mirrored on his friend's face told him he wasn't either.

Sighing, Natsu hoisted the bags over his shoulder and started walking. If they were going to say bye, they'd best do it before Lucy turned in for the night.

* * *

Unfortunately, it would seem that their favorite blonde and _usual_ night owl had decided, of all nights, to turn in early for once. It would've made him laugh (and gleefully take the opportunity to write on her face), except that he was trying to not be a dick this time around, and her being asleep was not exactly helpful to that attempt.

He crouched by her bed and glowered at her stupidly innocent face as she slept on. "Geez, Lucy. How am I supposed to give you a proper goodbye when you're being a lazy-ass and snoozing the day away," he muttered, not really willing to wake her up, despite his words.

They'd been through hell these past few months, and the things they'd all learned… Well, he couldn't really say he'd been sleeping all that well himself up until recently. If she was finally getting some rest of her own, he didn't really feel up to taking that away.

But they'd come here for a reason, and dammit, he really didn't wanna be the cause of her tears _again_.

Resigned to waiting and hoping she'd wake up on her own soon enough, he wandered over to where Happy was snooping through her desk, taking advantage of the fact that they'd be gone soon and away from the aspiring writer's wrath. Trying to avoid the temptation of her work-in-progress novel*, and after getting hissed at by Happy when he knocked over her cup of pens, they came across something that wasn't there when they'd packed up her stuff and fled Crocus.

A thick book bound in some dingy leather, with pieces of paper sticking out of the edges from what looked like half the pages. Honestly, they'd have passed it off as simply another of Lucy's attempts at binding her own books, except… Well, Fairy Tail's emblem being carefully engraved into _anything_ was kind of an eye-catcher.

It was practically begging to be opened.

Happy chose one of the pages with scraps sticking out and heaved the book open to it. On the right was a portrait–Reedus' work, they recognized–of Gajeel holding Levy off the ground by the back of her dress, with Jet and Droy, in the background, staring in horror while Pantherlily looks on in exasperation.

"Isn't this…?" the blue Exceed asked quietly.

Natsu nodded slowly, his eyes not leaving the page. "The S-class Exams, yeah."

On the left page was a short paragraph written in Lucy's hand:

 _Levy got nominated to become an S-class mage! So did Natsu! And Gray, Cana, Freed, Elfman, and Juvia! (So did Mest, but I'm not sure if his really counts… Not even Master knows anymore, haha.) I was so happy for them. They all worked so hard for it, and I couldn't be more proud. And I even got to join in too, for Cana's sake! In the end, a lot of us ended up involved. We had some scary times ahead of us, but even then, I was so glad to be part of it. I wouldn't want it any other way._

The two friends shared a grin as they recalled how that adventure had started. It was just as crazy as they'd hoped, and like Lucy, they didn't mind even the bad stuff that followed. After all, they were together with their friends.

It was with that happy memory and a growing curiosity that they turned all the way to the first page, where most books had their titles.

FAIRY TAIL

 _Our never-ending fairy tale_

Illustrated by _Reedus Jonah_  
Annotations by _Lucy Heartfilia_

After that was a picture of the guild building, as it used to be before Phantom Lord first destroyed it. Happy teared up a little at the sight of their old building, remembering spending the first seven years of his life usually in or around it. Turning to the next page was a sketch of the inside, along with another excerpt from Lucy:

 _Fairy Tail Guild 1.0!_

 _Though I didn't get to know it as long as most of the others, I'll never forget the first day I came here and the awe I felt at seeing this place. It was like something out of the stories I used to read. Sometimes it still feels like it is. And the people here are even more incredible! This truly is the best guild in Fiore!_

A couple more pages in revealed small sketches of all the members, new and old, both those that had stuck around through their seven-year absence and even those that hadn't, all with some little note by Lucy commenting about something from them that made an impression. The duo snickered at Loke's - _Amazing as a spirit but disappointing as a man_ , Natsu choked at Gray's - _You'd think such a smart guy would notice when he's losing clothes_ , and Happy nodded at Erza's - _Scary. So scary. But so cool!_

Eager to see more, they flipped to another random page, this one with no picture but actually newspaper clippings about the Sky Sisters of Lamia Scale, one about the upcoming Thanksgiving Day performance, another about Jura leaving the guild but Wendy being a welcome replacement, and yet another about some grand rescue mission of a little girl that Chelia, Wendy, and Carla managed to accomplish all on their own.

At the bottom, scrawled by the same hand as all the others:

 _Wendy and Carla really came into their own! They're catching up to us so fast!_

They both beamed in pride as they read the articles more closely, having had no idea about these adventures of their friends'. And it seemed like everyone in Fiore knew about them now, thanks to these reporters. Maybe they weren't just nosy weirdos.

Another random flip brought them to a page of Gramps crying as the whole guild surrounded him, big smiles and tears on everyone's faces.

 _We rescued Master from Alvarez! It was touch-and-go at certain points, and we probably wouldn't have made it if Fairy Tail's B team (I can't believe they want to keep using that name!) hadn't come when they did, but we did it! We brought Master back!_

At this point, Natsu noticed that one part of the book seemed to have a gap of some sort, like someone had kept it open to that page for a long time. Curious to see what could possibly be Lucy's favorite memory, he carefully flipped until he reached the gap. And froze.

Unlike the other pictures, this one was in full color and took up the entire page. It was of the three of them: him, Happy, and Lucy. They were coming through the doors of the guild, Happy laying on his head like the lazy-ass he really was, his bandaged arm thrown over Lucy's shoulders, all three of them wearing the biggest grins he'd ever seen. On the other page was only one sentence. But it said all that needed to be said.

 _It really is better when we're together!_

Happy kept drinking in the incredibly bright portrait as Natsu reread that line over and over again. And without his permission, another memory came to mind–something Lucy had admitted to him only after they'd finally had it out about him leaving. About how even before the guild had disbanded, she'd cried. About how lonely she was without them. About how she'd never stopped searching for them, even when she'd found most everyone else.

And with that, he came to a decision. "Happy," he called. When he saw the other looking at him, he grinned ruefully and scratched the back of his head. "I don't think we packed _quite_ everything we needed."

It only took a second for the Exceed to catch his meaning, and an ecstatic smile lit up his face. "Aye!"

* * *

 _*The last time he'd read something incomplete of hers, it'd been left on a cliffhanger that drove both him and Gray insane with curiosity, and to his eternal irritation, she'd never finished it**. Lesson learned on that one._

 _**He maintains that she did so out of spite._

* * *

Her head felt heavy, the room seemed to be swaying, and there was something pressing into her stomach. It was these three things that greeted Lucy as she came into the conscious world. And it was in processing these three things that she came to the disconcerting conclusion that she was being carried over someone's shoulder. So, she did what any Fairy Tail mage in such a situation would do.

She attacked immediately.

Driving her elbow into the back of her kidnapper and using that force, she managed to propel herself over the person and somersault into a crouch, already whirling around to continue her assault. Only, when she turned, she was faced not with some creepy stranger but her two most idiotic and endearing friends, the bigger of which was glaring at her while rubbing at where she'd jabbed him. She almost apologized on instinct, before remembering that he'd been carrying her off to gods' knew where.

Taking a deep breath, in an attempt for patience, she asked the most pressing question, "What do you idiots think you're doing?"

The looks of incredulity that implied they considered the answer obvious and questioned her intelligence would've felt insulting coming from anyone else but these two lunatics. As it was, she kept her brow furrowed to show just how unclear the situation was to _normal_ people; they'd pick up on it soon, she knew.

Sure enough, they both sighed exasperatedly to each other before leveling their usual "patient" looks on her. And dropped a terribly familiar bomb. "We're going on a trip, Lucy!"

Such words sent her mind spiraling back to when they'd last gone on such a thing, and she had to fight the panic that was rising at the memory. _They're still here, they're still here, don't panic, they're still **here**._ With another fortifying breath, she tried reasoning with them. "Geez, aren't you guys strong enough already? At this rate, no one's even going to be a challenge for you anymore," she joked uneasily.

"Nah, it's not just that. We want to actually see stuff, ya know. We stuck to the mountains and the wilds for most of the year, so it'll be cool to actually see the sights this time around. Like a whole new adventure."

Feeling the anxiety creep up, she tried again. "What, guild missions aren't exciting enough for you? Someone's gotten spoiled by all the chaos."

Again, Natsu just waved her off. "Oh, c'mon, ya know I love a good mission as much as the next guy. It just ain't the same feeling as wandering around for a bit, going off the beaten path and seeing something new, you know? I get why Gildarts likes it so much," the fire mage laughed.

Her brain was collapsing in on itself to come up with something else to deter him, but nothing would come. Dammit, why did he have to be so self-confident all the time? Why couldn't he just once feel a little bit of doubt? Just enough to hesitate, long enough for her come up with something to convince them not to leave her all alone again.

Minutes passed as they stared at one another, but for the life of her, she couldn't find a good enough reason to make him stay. Heart breaking once again, she bit her lip and tried to hold back any tears that might fall. "...Aren't you going to say goodbye to everyone?"

Her sweet but insensitive partner just smiled easily as he dropped yet another bomb on her. "Don't worry, I left the whole guild a note this time. They'll find it in the morning."

Flinching violently at that, the spirit mage looked down and tangled her fingers together to keep her hands from shaking too badly. She was reliving her worst nightmare, and this time, she couldn't wake up. Her heart was in her throat, and her eyes burned with unshed tears. Swallowing the sob she wanted so badly to let out, she managed a weak, "So… this is goodbye, huh."

The misery must've obvious even to her two idiots, because Happy swooped in front of her with a frown. "Don't be sad, Lucy. It's not gonna be forever…"

"S-sorry," she choked out, slowly losing the battle with herself. "I-I j-just… don't w-want you t-to go…"

The silence that followed made her feel even worse, and she covered her face in shame. Even after all that talk about being stronger, she was still such a crybaby. The embarrassment heated her face and forced another sob out of her throat.

"What, you're not coming with?"

At that, her head shot up, eyes wide as she stared uncomprehendingly at the two sets of onyx eyes staring back at her.

"H-huh?"

That glowing smile, the same one he'd given her when he'd whisked her off to Fairy Tail, first to join it and then to rebuild it, met her teary but hopeful eyes as he reached out his hand towards her. She took it without thinking and let him drag her behind as he and Happy started down the road once more, an obvious spring in their step.

Slowly catching on, Lucy finally noticed the extra bag slung over Natsu's shoulder and that Happy was carrying her whip and keys. The realization almost sent her into another crying fit. _You guys weren't gonna leave me again._ She couldn't help the wobbly smile climbing on her face or the impulsive hug she pressed into her favorite dragon slayer's back.

"You okay, Lucy?"

An enormous sigh of relief left her at that. _Thank you._ Giving a gentle nuzzle before letting go, she stepped back and smiled brightly. "I'm fine. Just excited, is all!"

Her boys shared a glance before shrugging it off and eagerly returning to the path ahead.

"C'mon, you weirdo. It's still a half-day's walk to river's bridge, and it's gonna rain pretty soon." To Happy, he added quietly, "And we've still got a ways to go before we're far enough that the others won't be able to track us."

"…Did you say something?"

"Nope, nothing," they both smiled innocently.

* * *

That morning was like any other for Magnolia's favorite guild. Mirajane was manning the bar whilst Cana nursed her first drink for the day, Fairy Hills' many female residents, including Levy and Wendy and Erza, had just sat down to enjoy breakfast, Wakaba and Macao were already reminiscing about younger days, and others were slowly trickling in, bringing the semi-quiet building back to its usual din of noise.

Gray and Juvia had just settled down to join the others for a bite to eat when Nab suddenly screamed loud enough to silence the entire room. As the man continued to just stare at the mission board in shock, the others grew impatient.

"Oi," called Gajeel, having suffered more than most because of his sensitive hearing. "What the fuck was that about, ya damn board-whore*?"

Trembling, the large man carefully tugged a paper from the board and turned around for the others to see, hoping one of them would help assuage his fear. "Th-this is a joke, right…?"

Seeing that the paper was not in fact a mission, everyone tried to inch closer to read the actual message written**. Carla and Lily flew up to read it out loud to those that couldn't get close enough.

" _Hey, me and Happy are going on another trip. We should be back in six months. Don't disband the guild this time. -Natsu"_

A giant sigh left most of the guild members at that, particularly amongst those regularly on Team Natsu. Gray summed up everyone's thoughts perfectly. "That idiot took off and just left a crappy note _again_?"

"So it would seem," Erza responded with a wry chuckle. "Then again, this is Natsu we're talking about. Is it really so surprising?"

With many shaking their heads at that sound logic, most everyone went back to their business, content to let the matter of their most reckless member lie for the moment with little more than some mild complaints***.

Gajeel walked over to Nab and bashed the man over the head. "Salamander being a moron ain't a good enough reason for you to blow out my eardrums, bastard."

Clutching his head in pain, the larger man whimpered and tried to explain. "No… Not that part. The other part…"

Blank eyes stared at the beast mage for a second before shooting back to the message he still held out. Gingerly, Wendy plucked the crinkled paper from him and smoothed it out as best she could. The others leaned over in order to all see what else was written down.

 _P.S. I decided to kidnap Lucy too. Don't expect her at breakfast._

These words took several seconds to process before they finally made sense to the group of friends. The outrage immediately followed.

 **"NATSU!"**

* * *

 _*He'd tried to get the man to call him by his actual name, but had given up after two weeks. It was still worlds better than "Beast Boy."_

 _**The handwriting was god-awful, that much was certain._

 _***Cana, in particular, worried that Gildarts was actually rubbing off on him****. The last thing this guild needed was two stupid, highly-destructive nomads running around Fiore without supervision._

 _****She was not wrong._

* * *

The subjects of their guild's concern continued, blissfully ignorant (or just plain uncaring) to the chaos left in their wake.

"What about my landlady? I wasn't exactly awake to tell her I'd be gone for a long time, after all," Lucy questioned worriedly, even as she kept pace with her friends and didn't so much as look back behind her. "And what about the guild? They're gonna be so worried…"

The dragon slayer waved her off. "No worries. I left a note with your landlady saying when we'd be back, and as for the others…" he shrugged, "I just added in my note that you were coming with me."

Blinking at her friend's surprising forethought, she took a moment to smile in fond exasperation at the man before addressing the one thing still bothering her. "But you didn't even ask me if I wanted to come…"

Whirling on her, so fast she didn't have time to even step back, the fire mage invaded her space, a sly smile transformed his face into the impish demon he sometimes was. "Like you would've said no."

That damned self-confidence of his was gonna get him killed one of these days, and she'd be the one holding the weapon, so help her. Just as soon as it stopped flustering her so much. "Y-you smug little-"

Undeterred by her embarrassed grumbling, Natsu leaned forward until his forehead pressed against hers and his grin had gentled just a little.

"After all," he reminded her, "it's better when we're together, right?"

At that, she settled down and returned the soft smile with one of her own. "Yeah…"

* * *

 _You and I both know Mashima isn't above sending Natsu and Happy on another journey at the end of this series. However, that man had damned better send Lucy with them next time, or so help me God, I will fly my ass to Japan and discuss with him just how things like that are_ **not okay** _._

 _Sorry about the footnotes thing. It was the only way to keep my sidebars from messing with the flow–which is pretty shoddy as is, let's be honest._

 _Natsu is… rather self-assured here. Which I'm under the impression might be weird to some people, but let me just point out that that_ is _Natsu. The guy's a cocky little shit, both in fights and in life. And as much as some of us may hate to admit it, he can actually justify it. And when he can't, he fakes it until he makes it. It's a real talent of his._

 _Not that he isn't unshakeable–he is. It just so happens that there are, like, two people on record that've been able to kick him off his little self-sustained pedestal and make him admit, if only to himself, when he's fucking up. Alas, Gildarts and Lucy are too fond of the little shit to do it too often, so I'll enjoy the little moments whenever I can get them._

 _Feel free to let me know what you find wrong or right with this, be it grammar or tone or characterization, etc. I'm actually trying to get back on the horse, so I'd appreciate someone telling me I forgot to buckle the saddle before I fall on my ass. (Case in point, that metaphor. What the actual fuck, self?)_


End file.
